Seize The Day
by iWant2Believe22
Summary: Max and Iggy Martinez have hated them for years. But who said the Rides were innocent? The feeling is all too mutual. So what happens when the two youngest of the families form a plan to end the rivalry? It started with hate. Will it end in.. love? FAX!
1. Obnoxiously Fang

**Hey, guys. I'm Believe. This is my first MR fic, but you have to start somewhere, right? I wrote it a while ago, and I plan on continuing it if people actually read it (and leave evidence, such as dropping a review or something so I'll know). **

**In this story the flock and Ella's ages are slightly different from the real books. ****Max and Fang are 15, Iggy is slightly younger at 14, Ella is 13, Nudge is 12, and then Gazzy and Angel are both 7. Sound good?**

**Oh, and Iggy isn't blind, and Ange and Gaz aren't biologically related (But don't worry, I'm not pairing them together. Gross!).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. This is just a fanfiction, so obviously I don't own it! JP does, of course.**

* * *

**BOOM!**

I froze, dropping my pencil onto the floor, looking up from my sketchbook as I yanked out my iPod ear phones.

"IGGY! GAZZY! WHAT WAS THAT?" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Those two were always up to no good.

I counted to three in my head, like I do every freaking day whenever a smoke alarm goes off, or if I hear an explosion like the one previously mentioned.

_And... three._

"NOTHING, MAX!" They both chorused. I let out a groan, closing my sketchbook, before getting up from my bed.

I stormed down the stairs, only to see my two bozo brothers looking guilty as ever.

I sighed, running a hand through my dirty blonde hair, my nose filling with the awful smoke smell no doubt wafting off of their little 'contraption'.

I assumed something had gone wrong, since Gazzy was eyeing what was left of the device in a disappointed and saddened manner. Well, serves them right for setting it off in the freaking house!

"Just... clean it up before Mom gets home." I ordered.

"Sir, yes, sir! Wait, I mean Ma'am..." Gazzy mock-saluted me, earning a glare on my part. Iggy whacked him on the head, which resulted in Gazzy whacking him back, but on the arm since he couldn't reach Iggy's head.

My brother was a total skyscraper. But who was I to talk? I was a whoppin' 5'8. That's sort of tall for a 15 year old girl.

I rolled my eyes as the two started to obnoxiously fight and argue. I was about to retreat back to my room, when the doorbell rang.

I checked my watch.

Yes, I wear a watch. Why? Cause I'm cool like that.

Yeah, note the sarcasm. I could never be cool, but what do I care? Weird is where it's at.

It was only 4 o'clock. Mom wouldn't be home until well after 7, at the earliest, so it definitely wasn't her. Plus, she'd just use her key to walk right in.

She worked almost full-time at a veterinary clinic a few blocks away, so I mostly had to put up with Iggy and Gazzy all by myself.

_Oh, the horror._

I wish _that_ was sarcasm.

No, I'm just kidding. I love my brothers to death, I really do. It's just... Gazzy can get sort of smelly, and the two put together make a mean bomb, as you just witnessed. But all in all, I guess they're alright.

For two bozos. Kidding, of course.

I walked to the front door, taking my time as the person on the other side kept ringing it and ringing it. Sheesh, someone's impatient!

I finally reached the door. I pulled it open without looking through the peep-hole. It's not like I couldn't take down a robber or anything, so I took my chances just opening it.

As soon as the door swung open, I came face-to- well, leg-to-face, with a short little girl with curly blonde hair. I looked down, and she blinked up at me with gigantic blue eyes.

She was adorable, I must admit. But something about her just screamed, I don't know... evil? Yeah, that's it.

"Hi, Max! Martinez, right? I was wondering if you'd play with me? I'm kind of bored, and my siblings won't do a thing about it. Cruel, right?" She spoke, sounding way more mature than she looked, that's for sure.

I raised my eyebrows, peering behind her to see if she came alone. That wasn't exactly safe, but she seemed like a smart kid who could easily manipulate her way out of trouble. Or, you know, maybe _she_ was the trouble, what with the 'evil' vibes and all.

I saw nobody around, so I assumed she was alone.

"Um, do I know you?" I questioned, not meaning to sound rude but not being nice, either.

She smiled at me.

"Yes, silly! We've only been neighbors for, what, 3 years now? I'm Angel Ride, duh! I think your brother is even in my class. You know, the smelly one? He's kind of weird. But cool at the same time. Sort of like me, ya know?" She giggled.

"Ohh... your house is over there, right? Why did you come here again?" I asked, glancing over at the Ride's house. I tried to hide my disgust for them. After all, this little girl didn't seem _so_ bad, compared to her older brother and two sisters.

I felt bad that she had to live with them. Poor kid.

"Well, to see if you'd play with-" She was cut off by a female's voice.

"Angel? Angel! Don't run off like that, we started to get worried!" I looked over and saw none other than Ella Ride, looking girly as ever in her light pink skirt and tank top.

She quickly caught sight of me at the door, and immediately scowled. I glared right back.

"Get off my lawn, Ride." I told Ella. She scrunched up her nose with disgust.

"Angel, sweetie, get over here. NOW. We don't talk to people like... _that_." Ella said, referring to moi. She was so stupid.

"Excuse me? People like _what_, exactly?" I questioned, crossing my arms. Angel frowned at her sister.

"Ella, quit being a drama queen, Max is cool! Well, besides her awful fashion sense.. but still." Angel giggled as I raised my eyebrows at her yet again, slightly offended.

"Oh my gosh. Angel, get inside, now!" Ella said frantically. Angel looked back at me, sighing as she rolled her eyes at her sister.

I held back a smirk.

"Sorry, Max. Maybe we can play next time." She said as she hesitantly descended down my porch steps, waving over her shoulder. She then disappeared next door into her house. That left me and Ella to have a glare-off across the yard.

My yard.

I repeat, MY yard!

"Ride, if you don't get your scrawny little butt off of MY property, I will kick said butt into next week. No, screw that. I'll rip out your stupid brother, what was his name? Tooth? Right. I'll rip out _his_ spine and then beat you _both_ with it!" I threatened, not completely serious, of course. But I did have a violent mind, I'll admit that.

"Oh, and same goes for for miss chatty mouth, A.K.A. Shove." I said with disgust, referring to her stupid sister, Nudge, and their even more stupid brother, Fang.

Fang was the worst of them all. He was a total jerk, I just... _yuck._ I hated him. Everything about him. He even _smelled_ annoying.

Suddenly, Iggy came out onto the porch. "Max? Who was at the- oh. _Her_." He spat with as much disgust as I was feeling, once his eyes landed on little miss Ella.

"H-Hi, Iggy." She said, visibly gulping. I noticed her face turning slightly pink, almost matching her skirt.

That was really weird.

Iggy caught it, too, so we both shot her 'WTF?' looks. Her eyes widened, but then she quickly started glaring at us both.

"I said hi, Igiot! Looking stupid today, as usual." She said in a sickly sweet voice, flashing him a sarcastic smile.

Iggy scowled. "Same for you, Ride." He shot back.

"How have your stupid little explosions been going? You woke me up yesterday with that dumb firecracker thing, and I _will_ get revenge. Same goes for you, Maxi-pad!" She all but growled, before storming off back into her stupid house with her stupid family.

We love the word stupid, if you haven't already noticed. Not referring to ourselves, though. More like each other.

Well, Angel wasn't so stupid, and neither was their Step-mom, Anne. But their dad, on the other hand... ugh. You can so tell where they get it from. But I mean, Jeb isn't all that bad... he's just not all that good, either.

Iggy snorted as we watched her all but strut inside, swaying her hips dramatically, then with a finishing touch, she slammed the door. I was surprised the thing didn't just fall off it's hinges.

A few minutes later, Iggy jumped all four of our porch steps, landing smoothly on the grass, before grabbing his skateboard that was sitting a few feet away beside Mom's garden.

"Well, I'm off to Sam's house. Him and the guys are having a football night." He said, waving slightly, hopping on his skateboard and heading down our rocky driveway.

I have no idea how he managed to do that without falling. For me, it was almost impossible to skateboard on rocks.

But, Iggy was Iggy. He had some weird, yet impressive skills. Like his cooking, for instance. I definitely didn't get that skill. I don't think Gazzy did, either.

The only thing that boy can cook up is a nasty fart. Seriously, he made Iggy's pet Iguana pass out one time. Poor thing.

I furrowed my eyebrows, processing what he had just said. My lips then curled into a small grin.

"Wait. Igster, can I go, too? The Jets are playing tonight." I stated eagerly. What? We don't have cable, therefore I almost always miss the game.

So, so unfortunate. Well, not really. I just had a slight love of American football. What can ya do?

"Well, I would say yes... but Dylan is going to be there." He said slowly.

My hopeful expression turned into a scowl. I nodded understandingly.

"Maybe next time, though. I can try to set him up with some girl so he won't be there. That good?" He raised a blonde eyebrow. I smiled slightly.

"Okay. Thanks, Ig."

"No problem, Max. Oh, tell Gaz my nitroglycerin is OFF limits, if you don't mind." He added, before pushing off with his right foot, heading off down the road riding Goofy style.

I stood there for a second, making sure he made it to the end of the road (What? I'm paranoid, okay? Plus, contrary to popular belief, I _do_ love my brother, believe it or not), before I got bored and walked inside. I didn't get very far, before the doorbell rang.

Again.

Didn't I JUST walk inside? Who could have run up to my porch in that little amount of time without me seeing them when I was out there _two_ _seconds ago_?

I let out a frustrated sigh, going back and opening the door, yet again. Only this time, there was no adorable little girl standing there.

All I saw was a annoyingly-good-looking face glaring daggers at me, as usual.

"What do you want, Nick?" I spat venomously.

"That's no way to treat someone who has a key to your house, Maximum." He replied, dangling my house key in front of my face.

I repeat, MY house key! Deja vu, much? Ugh, Ella was way too much like him. And yes, that is _totally_ a bad thing.

But how did he get my key?

I went to snatch it out of his hand, but he quickly pulled it away, lifting it up and well over my head.

I let out a low growl.

Fang wasn't as tall as Iggy, but pretty close, so that made it next to impossible for me to reach the key, even when I was jumping as high as I could.

After a few minutes of trying, I sighed, almost giving up.

Almost.

He stared at me warily, still holding the key up high, knowing fully well that I'd try something if he wasn't careful. Dang it!

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"Ange left her coat." He said simply.

"Oh. Um, I think it's- WAIT." I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, crossing my arms. "It's 90 degrees out, she wasn't wearing a coat!" I exclaimed, realization hitting me as he got that smirk back on his annoying little face, yet again.

He nodded understandingly.

"So then _why_ did you come here?" I asked, obviously annoyed, my patience quickly running out.

If I even had any for this loser.

"I just wanted to piss you off. And it worked," He stated nonchalantly, his lips once again attaining that obnoxious smirk that I so badly wanted to smack right off of his face.

I glared at him, glancing up at my house key. Why did I have to endure the misery of being neighbors with the ride family?

WHY?

"Get out of my sight. And give me back my house key! That's called stealing, Fang! I could have you arrested, you know. Give it back. Now." I crossed my arms, waiting for an answer as he just stared at me.

"No."

I huffed as he started walking down the steps. I was about to jump on him and start pounding his face in, when he suddenly tossed the key behind his shoulder. I reached out, swiftly catching it one-handedly. Impressive, huh?

No. I'm kidding, of course. He threw it, alright. But onto the roof.

THE ROOF! A.K.A, _way_ out of my reach!

I let out an angry growl, beyond pissed. But you caught that a long time ago, right? Well, not my fault I have anger issues.

Fang turned around for a second, walking backwards, acting all 'cool'.

I just thought it looked stupid, like everything else about him.

"See you at school, Max." He smirked, before disappearing into his garage.

I gritted my teeth. The first day of school after summer break was bad enough. But sharing it with _him_?

I had a feeling I'd need one of those anger-relieving punching bags.

"Oh, and Max?" He poked his head out of his garage door. I glared at him, not responding, but he went on anyway.

"Did you do something different with your hair? Like maybe forget to run a brush through it? Instead of looking like a bird's nest, as usual, it just looks like a pig's butt today." He grinned sweetly, before his head vanished inside the door again.

Make that two hundred anger-relieving punching bags.

Or maybe I could just use Fang Ride's face.

After that unpleasant encounter, millions of questions were swimming around throughout my head.

Such as, _why was he so obnoxious?_ _Why did all the girls at our school fall for.. him, of all people?_

Yuck. I tried not to think about the thought of falling for Fang Ride. It was almost too disgusting to bare.

But the most important question running through my mind... _why_ _did he love to piss me off so much?_

Those, my friend, were the questions that, to me, were equivalent to, say, "What is the meaning of life?".

I suppose I would never understand.

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**If I get positive feedback on this story, I'll continue with it. So, if you like it and want to read more, let me know! Negative feedback is also welcome, just try explain what you don't like about it so I can at least improve. **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	2. And So It Begins

**Oh my goodness... I love you guys! I got 6 reviews in barely two days, on the very first chapter! This is super exciting. Thank you guys so much! I honestly didn't expect to get so much positive feedback, lol.**

**Thank you! :)**

**This one is on the short side for me, but I feel it's really important for the plot, so I wanted to go ahead and get this up and over with. Sorry if it's not the most interesting one to read, but like I said; it needs to be there.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

_**(Review replies are at the end, if you asked a question in yours or something)**_

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***Third Person POV***

"Duck. Duck. Duck... um, duck... GOOSE!" Angel Ride squealed in delight as Gazzy Martinez poked the top of her head.

She absolutely _loved_ being chosen as the goose; it was her favorite part of recess.

Other kids began cheering her on as she jumped to her feet, immediately after being chosen.

She let out a scream as Gazzy began chasing her around the playground, both of them giggling away.

Suddenly, she stumbled over a piece of blue sidewalk-chalk a classmate had been using nearby.

This caused a chain reaction, sending Gazzy sailing over top of Angel, landing on the blonde girl's back by accident.

The fall had somehow squished the little boy's stomach, and the next thing they knew...

TOOT!

"EWW!" The other kids on the playground began shrieking, disrupting the Duck Duck Goose circle as they all scattered to the other side of the fenced in area.

Even teachers began coughing, the stench was so bad.

Both luckily and unluckily, Angel's seasonal allergies had been flaring up lately. Her nose was too stuffed up to smell anything.

But it was still gross.

"Oh, yuck!" She exclaimed, pushing Gazzy off of her back and rolling over.

Gazzy grinned proudly as he stood, brushing the dirt off his camouflage cargo shorts.

"Oops." He smiled.

Angel rolled her eyes, but smiled back anyway.

"Even though you made everyone quit the game, and as gross as that was, I have to admit, it was impressive." She stated. "But don't tell my sisters I said that." She giggled.

Gazzy nodded, laughing.

"You're Angel, aren't you? My family hates yours." He said bluntly.

"Yeah, I know. Gazzy, right? Now I know why you're called that!" She laughed. "But really, though. I don't get why they hate each other. I mean, you guys don't seem so bad. I actually kind of want to be your friend!" She added, slightly surprised.

Her sisters would _so_ kill her, she thought. But she didn't care, Gazzy was cool in her book.

After all, he was the only kid who'd actually picked her as the goose.

And the only one who would even talk to her, for that matter.

"Really? We can be friends, if you want." He responded.

At this, Angel's raspberry lips curled into a smile, showing off her two missing teeth smack dab in the front.

"Sure!" Her face lit up.

"Cool. Now we just have to spit on it. I saw people do it in a movie. It means that like, if you bring pancakes to school or something, you _have_ to share with me. Okay?" Gazzy questioned, his blue eyes glinting mischievously.

Angel narrowed her eyes accusingly.

"No way! I love pancakes. Your trick isn't going to work; _I'm_ the manipulative one. But good try," She patted his shoulder.

Gazzy looked down at his feet, realizing she had caught him. He felt kind of scummy for trying to trick his new best friend like that.

"It's okay! I'm not mad. How about I just bring extra? But you have to do the same, too." Angel said demandingly.

"Sorry, Angel. I thought it'd work. Most kids fall for that stuff, you know." He admitted. Angel stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well not me!" They both laughed.

"Oh well. I guess we're both pretty smart, huh? So, let's make this friendship official, alright?" He spit in his hand, before offering it out to Angel.

She just stared at it in horror. Gazzy got impatient, so he reached out to grab her hand himself.

The little girl squealed, stepping backwards, almost tripping over a pile of pebbles some kid had made earlier.

"Ew! I am _not _shaking your hand after you spit in it! Gross, Gazzy!" She scrunched up her nose in disgust.

He huffed, slightly offended, but understood nevertheless. Max had always told him that doing that was disgusting- he guessed she was probably right about it.

"Fine. Normal fist bump, then. I'll use my other hand. It's clean; I swear!" He said, waving his hand around in her face.

"Well, alright..." Angel replied hesitantly, being the germaphobe her sisters had trained her to be.

She reached out, pounding fists with the boy.

"There. It's official; we're best friends now." Gazzy said triumphantly.

"Awesome!" Angel cried.

And that was that. A new friendship had been made, despite the fact that it was supposed to be forbidden, what with the children's older siblings' history.

Gazzy Martinez and Angel Ride didn't seem to care about the bad blood, though.

After all- friendship was friendship. To them, once you shook- well, fist-bumped - on it, that was it.

For them, they knew that they were going to be best friends for _at least_ life.

It was as simple as that, to their innocent, yet extremely naive brains.

If only aforementioned siblings had known how much this little newly created bond between the little kids would affect their lives. All of them.

For good, or for worse?

Well, it's not going to be that easy to find out the answer.

But since you're already along for the ride...

You'll figure it out soon.

* * *

**To** **_The Weeknd_: I know! It seems like just yesterday I was eagerly awaiting MAX to come out, asking my dad to help me download it to my Kindle a few minutes after midnight. Man, it's depressing to think about. But I guess all good things must come to an end, right? It can't go on _forever_, even though I would love for it to. I'm going to miss Iggy the most. Man, I love that bird kid. But at least we'll still have FF to read.**

**To _MPHknows_: Eh, I'm not too fond of Eggy, either. But it MIGHT have to be done (for the plot's sake). I don't know yet, so we'll see. I hope that doesn't stop you from reading! If it does happen, I won't make it that fluffy or put much detail, alright? I don't want to vomit or make make anyone else vomit. Besides, Iggy is all mine.**

**Just kidding, of course. A geeky author can only dream.**


	3. First Day Blues

***First day of school, a few hours before Gazzy and Angel became friends***

"Max. Max. Ma-ax... Max! MAAAAAAX! Ma-"

"WHAT, IGGY? Stop saying Max!" I shouted back, sitting up against my bed's headboard, rubbing my tired eyes. I stared expectantly at Iggy, who was standing in my doorway.

"Well, if you had answered me the first time I wouldn't have done that." He stated, crossing his arms.

I rolled my eyes.

"So what did you want?" I repeated.

"Oh, yeah. Time for school. So... get up!" He made a gesture with his hands before walking back out into the hallway.

I groaned, begrudgingly pulling myself out of bed. I went over to my dressers, pulling out a random shirt and jeans.

After I threw on the clothes, I ran a brush through my knotty hair, trying to somewhat tame it down.

After I deemed myself somewhat presentable, I headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth and all that.

As I walked into the kitchen, I saw Gazzy passed out on the kitchen table, dressed in Batman underwear, and only that.

Confused (and slightly grossed out from the lack of clothing), I slowly walked over to the table.

"Gaz?"

I poked his cheek repeatedly.

"Gazzy?" I called quietly. He didn't move a bit, but I could hear the soft sound of him snoring, so I knew he wasn't dead.

Phew.

"Yo, Gasman. Wakey, wakey, kiddo!" I said, my voice a little louder this time.

He still didn't stir.

So, me being me, I strolled over to the marble counter beside the fridge, grabbing an apple out of the fruit basket.

I chucked it at Gazzy as hard as I could. It whacked him on the leg, causing him to jump up almost instantaneously.

"HUH? Wha-" He exclaimed tiredly, nearly falling off the table. I watched, slightly amused, as he slowly but surely managed to get to his feet. On the floor, of course.

He looked around, taking a moment to spot me since he was half asleep.

He blinked a few times, before letting out a huge yawn.

"Max?" He mumbled groggily. "What are you doing?" He asked, scratching his bare back.

"Uh, Gaz, I think the question here, is what are _you_ doing? You were asleep on the table." I pointed out. "Not to mention you're half naked." I said disgustedly, going to the cabinet to get some cereal.

"Oh, yeah. Um, Iggy and I made a bet. See, he thought that I couldn't fall asleep in a weird place, so-"

I cut him off.

"Say no more. All I heard was 'Iggy', but I think that explains it fully." I stated, pouring the milk onto my Fruit Loops.

"Is Mom gone?" Gazzy asked.

I glanced at the time.

"Yeah, she had to be at vet's office at 6:00, remember? Iggy and I have to be at school by 7:25, so you're going to have to catch the bus, alright? Yours doesn't start until 7:40, but the bus will be here at 7:20, okay?" I asked him.

He nodded.

Normally, I'd be worried about leaving a 7-year-old home alone to remember to catch the school bus.

But this was Gazzy.

He had been doing this for years. He knew the drill, and I trusted him. He was a smart kid, and I knew he'd be okay.

"Okay, Max. I can do that. I won't forget, I promise. Can you pick me up after school, though? We can walk home together." He suggested. I smiled.

"I think we can manage that." I agreed, ruffling his blonde hair. "Mom packed your lunch, it's in the fridge." I told him.

He nodded, once again.

"Now go put some clothes on! And don't forget to brush your teeth. And eat before you go, too. " I ordered. He rolled his eyes, but did as told, running off to his and Iggy's room.

A few minutes later, Iggy walked into the kitchen, his hair all spiked up with gel.

It looked like it was on fire, since the tips of his hair were more of an orangey color rather than blonde, like the rest. It was his natural color, of course. I always thought it looked pretty cool.

"You ready for high school?" He questioned.

"Nope, but I'll go anyway... are you? You're the one who's a freshman this year. I've already been there, done that. It's like, old news to me. You know, since I'm older and all," I smiled, rubbing it in. I _loved_ being the oldest.

I don't know why, but there was just something I liked about being all leader-y and authoritative. Which, I get to do both, since Mom is basically gone most of the time for work.

Not that I don't miss her or anything. Cause really, I do. _A lot._ And I could _never_ replace her. I would never try to, either!

Mom was Mom; irreplaceable. Not to mention she made some dang good chocolate chip cookies! Again, something I could never do.

He grinned. "Whatever, Max. Just cause you're a year older doesn't mean I'm not more smarter than you." He stated.

"More smarter?" I repeated, laughing. Iggy glared at me.

"It was a joke." He stated.

"Sure it was, Ig." I teased.

After we both finished our breakfast, we decided to start walking to the bus stop.

"GAZZY!" Iggy yelled. The Gasman ran into the room.

"Yeah, Ig?" He asked, tooth brush hanging out of his mouth, and blue foam dripping down his chin. He looked like a rabid animal.

Gross.

"We're leaving now, alright?" Iggy said in a softer voice. He nodded.

"Don't forget to get a head start walking to the bus stop." I said, even though it wasn't very far from our house.

"Okay," He said through a mouthful of toothpaste.

"Alright, adios, dude!" Iggy said, patting his head before slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"I'll pick you up after school. Bye, Gaz! Be good, alright? Get to the bus on time. And no explosives at school!" I told him sternly. He hesitated, but I gave him a look. He quickly nodded, before giving me a one-armed hug.

"Bye!"

"Ciao,"

And we were off.

* * *

"So then, Shaw Akers was all like, 'Watch where you're going!', and I was all, 'You watch where you're going!', and then.. I kind of punched him in the face. So now I have detention for 2 weeks. But it was, by far, _totally_ worth it." JJ finished her story.

I had asked her if she wanted to hang out later today, but then she began explaining- well, you heard.

"Daaang, girl!" Lissa laughed.

"Seriously, I never knew you had it in you, JJ!" I mused proudly, taking a bite out of my sandwich. She rolled her eyes, but smiled at us nevertheless.

Suddenly, though, her smile quickly began to falter. I noticed her eyes trained on something behind me.

"Uh oh.. look who it is." Lissa muttered nervously, glancing me, as if she was getting ready to break up a fight or something.

I quickly turned around, only to see my favorite person in the whole wide world; Fang Ride! Walking straight towards mine, JJ, Lissa's table.

YAY! Just the person I wanted to see!

If you didn't catch onto my obvious sarcasm, you may as well stop here. Seriously.

I narrowed my eyes at him once he approached us, stopping right in front of me (well, behind me, but I was turned around facing him).

"What do you want, Nick?" I spat. JJ elbowed me in the side. I rolled my eyes at her, choosing to ignore her.

Fang glared at me half-heartedly, seemingly distracted. He appeared to be more focused on scanning the over-crowded cafeteria. rather than paying attention to the daggers shooting out of my muddy brown eyes.

He nodded at us, his eyes lingering on me in a distasteful way. I almost snorted.

"Hi, Fang." JJ smiled politely.

"What brings you to our table today?" Lissa asked in a polite manner, much like JJ's tone.

JJ and Lissa had never understood the rivalry between Fang and I.

I had only known Lissa and JJ for about a year; we met at the beginning of freshman year last September. We were pretty close. I considered them my best friends pretty much. I just didn't like sharing anything too personal, about myself or my family, with anybody for that matter.

Which included the war going on between a certain dark haired boy and his siblings.

They knew our families were neighbors, and that we had some bad blood between us. But they didn't know why we hated each other so much, especially Fang and I. They had told us numerous amounts of times that they thought our fighting was silly and pointless.

And since they were friends with both Fang and I, they were pretty good at staying neutral whenever we had an 'encounter' at school or wherever. They knew to stay out of it.

Though they didn't always follow that rule, trying to play peace maker.

I mean, don't get me wrong- I appreciated their attempts.

But it just wouldn't work. Period.

"Can I sit? There's no other seats." Fang stated, his face lacking any emotion. Another thing about him (out of thousands) that irked me.

I looked around, and indeed, there was absolutely no open tables, due to the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors having to eat together in a really squished cafeteria.

Too bad for Fang. There was no way he was sitting with us. He could go outside and eat in a sewer-filled ditch for all I cared.

"Sure,"

"Go ahead!"

"Hell no, get out of my face."

Lissa, JJ, and I replied in unison.

I think you all know which one was me.

Fang nodded, completely ignoring my response as he sat beside Lissa, farthest away from me.

I stared him down as he ate, not paying any attention to me. Finally, he looked up, dark eyes narrowed.

"Problem?" He asked oh-so-innocently, raising a dark eyebrow.

I almost snorted in disbelief his fake tone, but held it back as JJ was giving me a look. Did her and Lissa really buy his so-called 'innocence?'

"Yes," I stated through clenched teeth.

"Max..." JJ warned softly. Lissa was looking between Fang and I depending on who was speaking, like she was watching some intense tennis match.

"Which is?" Fang questioned.

"You, as always." I sighed, going back to my food as he rolled his eyes at me.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

**So, kind of a filler. But a long one! Don't worry, the real plot has already began to start. I just had to get the first day of school for Max out of the way. **

**And _yes_, Lissa is actually _nice_ in this story. For now... :-)**

**Thanks to all who read and reviewed! You guys are amazing!**

**Oh, and to Sydney: _17 chapters_? Psh, you better review a lot more, then! Haha :) Either way, if this story goes as planned, I'll hopefully get that far one of these days. So, you'll get those chapters eventually! Thanks for reading & reviewing!**


	4. Dr M Trips With Style

It was finally Saturday.

Fortunately, I had managed to make it through the first week of school. It went slightly worse than average- nothing great had happened, really. Nothing worth mentioning, anyway.

Well, besides the fact that the school had finally realized they had screwed up when arranging lunch schedules on Monday.

So, now the lunches were completely different from the first day.

Freshmen and sophomores now ate together, and then the juniors and seniors ate together. But they had different lunch periods, like most schools.

I got assigned to lunch B.

JJ and Lissa _both_ got lunch A, so now, not only did we not have _any_ classes together- seriously, not a single one! -we didn't even get to eat together, either! That just pissed me off.

Iggy, thankfully, had lunch B; same as mine. He had basically been ripped apart from all of his friends, too, so now we just sat together with some random people, since we didn't really know anybody else.

We're just _oh-so _popular, as you can tell.

But if that doesn't suck enough, guess who also got lunch B?

Yep. That's right.

Fang Ride. _Ugh._

But at least he didn't usually sit with me. Not unless there were no other places to, like last time. Or unless he was feeling particularly obnoxious that day.

Either way, even being close enough to where I had to breathe the same air as him totally sucked.

But, ufortunately, I can't change it. Looks like I'll just have to deal. Whatever.

Back to reality.

"Max, honey, are you ready? I just finished packing our lunch," Mom called from the kitchen. I got up from the couch, walking into the other room.

"Yep, just let me get my shoes on," I replied, starting to search around the house for my tennis shoes.

See, Mom usually gets most Saturdays off of work. Which means she tries to take the opportunity to make some one-on-one time with each of her kids.

Today happened to be my day out with Mom.

She had made this fancy schedule that had been hanging on the fridge for years, updated accordingly every month or so.

It was written on one of those mini dry-erase boards, with a magnet glued to the back.

Each kids' day had been circled and written with our favorite colors, depending on whose day it was.

Iggy's day was written in a maroon-colored marker. Gazzy's, an olive green. Then mine, a dark purple.

It went a little something like this:

**_September 1st - Max's day. Noon to whenever. Must get home by 5:00pm for dinner._**

**_September 8th - Work day. Will be home at 5:30pm, unless there's an animal emergency._**

**_September 15th - Gazzy's day. 9am to whenever._**

**_September 22nd: Iggy's day. 10:00am to whenever._**

You get the picture.

Did you notice my day started later? What can I say, I am NOT a morning person.

Sometimes I get mocked for still having little 'Mommy & Me' days, since I'm 15 and all.

But honestly, you're never too old for this kind of stuff. And screw the people that make fun of me! If you have a problem, you may as well keep it to yourself. Otherwise, I am _not_ paying the hospital bill for when you _do_ say it to my face.

Capiche?

So, today Mom and I had decided to pack a lunch, then head to the park and go for a run before we eat.

Perfect, right?

_Wrong_.

It couldn't have gone worse.

"Why?", you ask? Well, just keep reading...

"Alright, are you ready to start running?" I asked eagerly, shortly after we had arrived at the park.

I absolutely l_oved_ to run.

I loved everything about it; from hearing my feet pounding against the ground, to the feeling of my messy hair flying back behind me, the wind whipping passed me with a s_woosh!_. I loved every second of it. It helped me think better, too. I ran whenever I was frustrated, mad, sad- heck, even happy!

People always tried to get me to join the track team. I mean, don't get me wrong- I'd love to. But I just didn't have the time for the whole 'you-must-show-up-at-this-and-that-time-for-practice' kind of thing.

I was too busy for that, what with the 'taking charge' business, since Mom wasn't around as much as we'd like.

_But she's here with you now_, I reminded myself. _That's all that matters._

"Max, calm down," Mom laughed, making me want to laugh, too. It was just that contagious. "We just got here. But yes, I'm ready. Give me a second to find a spot for the food." She replied, picking up the cooler filled with enough food packed to satisfy both of our enormous appetites.

Once we got the cooler placed behind a tree that'd be easy to recognize later, we set off into a slow jog.

We didn't stay like that for long, though.

A few minutes later, Mom caught my eye, glancing at me challengingly. I narrowed my eyes. She raised her eyebrows in a way that said, 'C'mon, show me what you got!'.

_Challenge accepted_.

I glanced at her one last time, and in an instant we both took off in a sprint, me slightly ahead of her, but she was soon right on my tail. Now I see where I got it.

We ran and ran around the trails of the massive park, weaving through trees, jumping over holes in the grass.

Suddenly, though, Mom had lost her footing.

I watched in horror as she fell harshly to the ground. It was almost like slow-motion.

In an instant, I had stopped running, quickly turning around and rushing towards her as fast as I could. I needed to catch her.

But I was too late.

I heard it before I saw it. The sickening _'SNAP!_' registered in my ears, right before Mom cried out in pain, both of us panting hard.

"Mom!" I exclaimed, squatting down next to her. She groaned.

"My leg," She gasped in pain, trying to take deep breaths to steady her breathing. I quickly looked down, examining her legs. I started to feel nauseous when I spotted the injury.

Her left leg, right below her knee, was twisted in a way that looked both extremely unnatural, and _extremely_ painful. Red dots covered her entire leg, like blood was pooling underneath, and scratches were going up and down her thigh and calf, stopping right where her lime-green shorts did.

I winced, feeling awful. I wished I could have taken the fall for her, my poor Mom.

"Do you... do you think it's broken?" I asked tentatively, trying not to panic.

She tried to move her leg, but sucked in a pained breath, wincing. She leaned forward a bit, examining it. Good thing she was a trained vet.

Broken animal legs were close enough to humans', right?

...Right?

"Yeah, I think so. Did you bring your cell phone?" She questioned, taking deep breaths. I nodded, pulling the phone out of my sweatpants' pocket.

This was not good.

Was Mom going to be able to work after this? If not, that meant I'd have to try to find a job for now. We weren't exactly struggling with money, but we weren't very well-off, either.

Visiting the hospital and Mom getting unemployed was definitely _not_ going to help our money situation.

I didn't mind taking up the job of making ends meet, and supporting our family, and all that. I mean, someone had to do it, right?

I was just worried that nobody would hire a 15 year old with absolutely no experience. I hadn't even put together a résumé yet!

Not to mention I still had school to worry about.

_Crap_.

Well, whatever happened, I still knew one thing- that this was _not_ good.

I ran a hand through my wind-blown hair.

"I'll call 911."

* * *

**Uh oh... looks like Max has to get a job!**

**Thanks for all the reviews & alerts, guys! Keep em' comin'. I spend a lot of time on these chapters, and just getting a simple review makes it all worth it! It lets me know people actually like my writing, which is always a good sign, in my opinion :)**

**Oh, and out of curiosity.. have you guys ever seen/met anyone in real life that looks _exactly_ like a MR character? Because I met this dude who looks EXACTLY like Fang (well, how I imagine him). His freakin' name is even Nick, and he wears all black and almost _always _has a windbreaker on. He even has the 'Fang personality'. It's really freaking me out. Creepy, huh? **

**But the creepiest thing about it? You know how in the ANGEL book, it mentions that Fang got a haircut? Well, a day after the book came out (I'm a really fast reader), I saw Nick. And guess who had gotten a haircut? Yep. He did. And I'm dead serious. I was freaking out on the inside.**

**Coincidence? I don't think so.**


	5. Taken: Or was I?

**Thanks to all my lovely reviewers! **

**Note: I**** meant to write 'easel', not 'easle'. If you don't know what an easel is, Google it. It's like an artist's tool, used for painting, drawing, etc. You'll understand why I'm saying this after you read this chapter.**

* * *

_I was sound asleep, dreaming of chocolate chip cookies and firefighters, for some strange reason._

_Suddenly, I was taken out of dreamland. My ears picked up on a strange sound coming from in my bedroom._

_My eyes snapped open, only to be met with the darkness. I could never sleep with light, I had to have my room pitch black._

_I blinked, squinted, and rubbed at my eyes, desperately trying to see what the sound was._

_Suddenly, I heard quick, ragged breathing coming from the side of my bed._

_Startled, my reflexes instantly sent out a punch towards whatever was beside me._

_The intruder must have dodged my punch. After all, I was still half asleep. I heard a low growl. I couldn't tell if it was human or animal. It sort of sounded human._

_I mean, it had to be, right? We didn't have any pets, and all the doors and windows were locked. I double checked, every single night before bed. Call me paranoid, but I figure it's better safe than sorry._

_Maybe I was just imagining it._

_Another growl registered in my ears._

_No. I was not imagining it._

_Okay, now I was fully alert._

_I quickly sat up as fast as I could, when suddenly, a hand wrapped its way around my mouth. My eyes widened, red hot anger starting to boil throughout my blood. Nobody messed with Maximum Martinez._

_Nobody._

_I was about to spring into action, going all-out ninja on whoever was in my house, when realization suddenly hit me on the head. Not literally, of course._

_The hand on my mouth. The..._

_The hand._

_I was expecting it to feel like the flesh of some pathetic burglar dude, picking the wrong house to rob._

_But instead, I felt... fur. Definitely fur. Fur and sharp, sharp claws._

_What the-_

_A dim light flickered on. The lamp beside my bed, sitting on my night stand._

_I only got a quick glance at the intruder._

_From what I could tell, it was a dog. No, two dogs. That's right._

_Dogs._

_So... a couple of dogs were robbing my house._

_Did somebody hit me in the head before I went to sleep last night? This was definitely not normal._

_No, wait. They weren't dogs. They were... wolves. No, two bigfoots. Okay, not bigfoot. But they had to be part human, from the way their-_

_Oh, screw this! Whatever they were, they were was really, really ugly._

_Not to mention one was holding a syringe._

_Oh, *insert-swear-word-of-your-choice* no! This meant war._

_I shoved Beast #1's hand off of me, in a failed attempt to finally start going ninja on their hairy butts._

_But before I could, he grabbed me around the neck. I started coughing, not getting enough air._

_That sorry son of a-_

_"Don't even think about it, little girl." Beast #2 growled, before jabbing the syringe into my left shoulder._

_Though, not before I gave Beast #1 a good kick in the chest with my bare feet. He let go of my neck, allowing me to suck in deep breaths of fresh air._

_Well, not-so-fresh air. Beast #2's breath seriously reeked. Extremely badly. I would have gagged if I wasn't so confused at their presence alone._

_I noticed Beast #1 had fallen back on the wooden easle that sat in the corner of my wall, successfully crushing the thing into pieces. I never kept chalk or anything on the easle, but I did leave the erasers there. So, naturally, they flew all over the room._

_He must be really overweight and clumsy for a dog-wolf-human-thing._

_I don't know how long it took to for whatever they injected in me to react, but I was able to croak out a few words before I met my doom._

_"Good Lord! Have you ever heard of mouth wash, Dog Boy?"_

_And then everything went black._

* * *

I gasped, sitting up in my bed. Again.

Wait. Where was I? I looked around.

I was back in my bedroom. Except, it was day time, and sun was shining through my window.

I looked over at my easle, expecting it to be crushed. Imagine my confusion when I saw that it was in perfectly good shape. The erasers were lined up neatly on the little ledge of it, too. Just like I had arranged them a few weeks ago.

Like it had never been smashed by that wolf thing.

Okay, I seriously needed a name for those things. Stank-Breaths? Big-Bad-Wolves? Bigfoots? Dog-Dudes? Erasers?

Aha! Perfect.

Erasers.

They deserved to be named after something so... so little, and wimpy, and insignificant. Something both erasers/Erasers were.

But what if I had imagined the Erasers? Or what if it was a dream? It looked like nobody but me had been in here. No signs at all that there had even been any type of intruder in my room.

Wait.

I quickly jumped out of bed, pulling both my blinds and bedroom door closed, before yanking off the oversized t-shirt I had worn to bed.

I stood in front of the mirror, examining my left shoulder for any marks indicating I had been punctured with a syringe.

Nothing.

I checked the other one, just in case I had the wrong shoulder.

I saw nothing at all. No little holes, or dried up blood. Just my smooth, bare skin. A regular shoulder.

But something else caught my eye. My back.

There was like... a little lump, about the size of a golf ball, forming on my right shoulder blade. That had never been there before.

Weird.

Becoming curious, I opened my top dresser drawer, pulling out a little pocket-sized mirror. I turned around backwards, holing the little mirror up, and looking through it at my back in the mirror behind me.

It wasn't just one lump, it was two lumps on my back. They were perfectly level to each other on each side of my spine.

They were golf-ball-size, my normal skin tone. They didn't look gross or anything. Just... there.

I reached over my shoulder, gently touching one. They didn't hurt, either. They were just like regular skin.

Huh.

That was weird. I guess I just had, like, two over-sized zits or something. They'd fade away eventually.

"Yeah, Max. Just keep telling yourself that." I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes.

But then I caught myself. I turned around, looking at my reflection in the mirror.

"Shut up, Max. You're over-thinking it. Stop being paranoid." I told myself. Yeah, I know.

Talking to myself?

I was seriously losing it. Well, I guess this just means no more cookies before bed.

It was just a dream, of course. Erasers don't exist. And the bumps on my back? Nothing major. Just two really huge zits. _Every teenager gets them_, I reminded myself.

Yeah, that's it. A dream, and two huge pimples. That's all.

Right?

* * *

**What do you guys think? I didn't forget about the broken leg, by the way. That'll come up again. But did you guys think it was an all-human story? Hmm? Well, it is. Or it isn't. Maybe, maybe not. You'll never know! Actually, you will. But later in the story, of course :)**

**And sorry if the grammar and word-structure sucked in this chap. I spent all this time editing it and double-checking and all that, but then I messed up and forgot to save. Then I got frustrated and just left it like this. Sorry! **

**I'll update again soon. Updates might be a little slower after this week, though. My other story starts up again May 1st (it was on Hiatus).**

**And to that awesome reviewer who asked if Nick (the Fang-look-alike I met) is hot... yes. Very much so. ;)**


	6. Don't Spill The Beans

**Hey, guys. So sorry for the lateish update, I got really sidetracked. Sorry about that! But here it is.**

**Oh, and I disabled anonymous reviews for a little while, but they're allowed again now.**

**I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I think it's definitely _not_ one of my best, I'm afraid to say. I don't know what my problem was when I wrote it, but hopefully I'll be back on track for the next update. I hope you guys don't hate it _too_ much.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, or McDonalds, or Big Macs (I've never even tried one, anyway).**

* * *

"Mom, are you sure you'll be okay?" I questioned, worried. It was Thursday evening, a few days after Mom had returned from the hospital.

"Max, honey, I'm fine. Thank you, though. I really appreciate it, but I'm going to be just fine." Mom replied.

She was on the couch reading a book, her broken leg clad in a hot pink cast (Ella's suggestion) and propped up on the coffee table under a pillow. The doctor had said absolutely NO weight should go on the leg, at least for now.

"Go, or you're going to be late for your first ever shift! That wouldn't be a very good first impression, Max!" She added, gesturing towards the door with her free hand.

I sighed. Now I understood where I got my stubbornness from.

"Alright. I'll be home in a few hours or so." I slipped on my shoes, going over to kiss Mom on the cheek, before heading out the door.

I was on my way to _Anne's Eats_, a small, family-owned restaurant just a few streets up. A few days ago, I had noticed they were hiring, so I applied for a job as a waitress (since we all know I can't cook).

I figured I'd at least try to help support our family.

Anne's Eats was a place I used to go to, like, every week. The food there was just _so_ good, and they had the best coffee ever. Plus, I knew they paid pretty well, since JJ's older brother used to work there as a bus boy.

Iggy was going to try and apply for a job there, as well.

But, as a cook instead.

I'll let you in on something: My brother is basically one of _the_ best cooks on the planet. So, naturally, he had figured it would be a good opportunity.

He just had to do a few things before he could apply, though. Mom was trying to teach him a lesson about using explosives, so he wouldn't be allowed near any stove for another few days.

But I could manage until then, I think.

An Anne's Eats employee had called me back the next day, asking me to come in for a trial-run to see how I'd do. I had apparently passed, so they handed me a schedule and a uniform which I was now wearing.

The only problem?

Anne & Jeb Ride were the owners.

That's right.

Ride, as in Angel, Ella, Nudge, and Fang Ride's parents. I knew they all hung out there pretty frequently, so I knew it was going to be hard. I'd have to act all polite and nice towards them, or else I'd probably get fired.

And that could NOT happen, cause it's not like any other place would hire me. And I _needed_ this job.

So, for my family's sake, I'd have to put up with their kids while I worked there, at least until Mom was back on her feet again (literally).

I grabbed Iggy's skateboard, jogging to the end of the driveway before placing it down and hopping on it, pushing off down the road.

Time to enter the job world.

Here we go...

* * *

"Yeah, you sell Big Macs, right?" The little kid sitting alone at the booth asked. I glared at him.

It was almost the end of my shift, thank the Lord, but I had had enough of this little brat tonight.

"Listen, kid. For the last time! We do NOT sell Big Macs. This isn't McDonalds, now order something we actually have or get out!" I said, exasperated. This was like the fifth time me he had asked me! I was losing my temper.

"Well fine then! This place is no good anyway!" The kid replied in the same tone as me, before getting up and storming out of the store, yelling for his dad.

"Wow, Max. Way to lose us business." A familiar voice said from behind me. I spun around, notepad and pen in hand.

I narrowed my eyes. Why did Fang have to keep bugging me?

"He asked me ten times before, did you expect me to just go buy him a Big Mac or something?" I asked. Fang rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, get back to work." He muttered darkly.

"And since when are you my boss?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Since my parents left with Angel, saying, 'Fang's in charge'."

"Right, well, whatever..." I mumbled, before walking over to a bald man with a beer-belly who had been waving me over.

After I took his order, I placed it onto the counter for Ella to get. She was on kitchen duty. She hated cooking, so that sucks for her. She walked over, glaring at me. I smiled, enjoying her torture of having to be the cook for today.

Another reason they should hire Iggy, when he applies.

"Order up," I said in a sickly sweet voice. She shot me the bird before going back to the kitchen to make the order.

I looked around the store. The only customers in here were the bald man, and a young couple who had already gotten their food. That was it.

It was a pretty slow day, which was why I guessed that Mr. and Mrs. Ride had let Fang take over.

Speaking of which, who had been doing absolutely nothing.

He was just leaning against the wall closest to the front counter where people paid, watching me with an impassive face.

Stupid creepy Fang.

I went around to empty tables, grabbing the sugar things and taking them behind the counter to be re-filled.

"So, Max. Why are you working here? Did dearest Mommy, beloved animal helper, get fired or something?" Nudge asked, suddenly appearing beside me. I tried not to glare.

After all, I needed to be nice. Or at least _try_.

"No, she didn't get fired." I stated, screwing the lid onto the sugar thing. Man, I really needed to figure out what these things were called.

"So did she make you get a job, then? Or do you just need the extra cash? Or did Iggy blow something up and you have to help pay for it? Or are you finally coming to your senses and realizing that this is the real world, where people have to work hard to accomplish things? No, forget that last option. You're too unintelligent to realize something like that."

Wow. She had said that all in one breath.

_This_ is why I had nicknamed her 'The Nudge Channel' when we first met. Though, she hated being called that, which was exactly why I still did so.

I stared at her for a few seconds, trying to decipher what she had just said.

Finally, after a good few minutes, I had figured it out.

"None of the above, though, I am _way_ more intelligent than you. Now either hand me the remote so I can turn off the Nudge Channel, or get lost. Your brother told me to get back to work, anyway, so let me do my job." I replied, going back to filling up the sugar things.

She rolled her eyes at me, before walking off to do her job at the cash register. I was glad I could at least be a jerk to Nudge. She had a high tolerence for my obnoxious behavior, so I knew she wouldn't fire me just for being a witch with a B.

To be honest, I kind of think she actually secretly enjoys our bickering sometimes. Crazy girl.

"So what's the real answer?"

I jumped, spinning around.

"Fang, would you quit that?" I exclaimed. He smirked.

"Quit what, Breathing?"

I glared.

"What real answer?" I asked bitterly, referring to his previous question.

"Why did you get a job here? I'm guessing it wasn't willingly." He pointed out, spot on. I hated that about him.

Well, I hated everything about him, but mostly the fact that he could read me so easily half the time. I don't know how, though.

But it pissed me off.

"It's none of your business." I retorted lightly, crossing my arms.

He narrowed his eyes a fraction.

"Then I'll just have to fire you." He smirked, yet again. I stared at him. Was he serious? I couldn't believe that- that.. _jerk!_

"That is not fair, Fang! I need this job. You can't blackmail me like that, okay? Some things are personal, and I definitely don't want to talk to you about it!" I snapped.

"Hey, waiter, I need a refill!" The bald man yelled, saving me from talking to Fang anymore. For the moment, at least.

I sent Fang one last glare, before snatching the tea pitcher off of the counter and bringing it over to the dude. I walked back behind the counter begrudgingly, knowing Fang would ask again or threaten me if I didn't give him the answer.

He's such a jerk.

"So, the answer? Or do you want to get fired?" He repeated, still in the same spot, peering at me from under his dark bangs.

I looked at him.

"You really want to know?" I questioned. He gave me a look. "Fine, then." I lowered my voice, not wanting anybody else to know and try to pity me. Or in the Ride children's case, fire me just to ruin my life some more and laugh about it.

"My mother broke her femur bone, and is unable to work, obviously. They had to put a metal rod in her leg, and they said it's going to take 6 months on average to fully recover. 3 months for the bone to heal, another three of physical therapy for the muscle. So if you fire me, chances are my family will be living in a box. Are you that cruel? Do you want us living in a box, Fang!" I rambled, taking all of my anger and frustration out on him.

In a lowered voice, of course.

I couldn't believe I was telling him this. I hadn't even planned on telling JJ or Lissa! What the heck was I doing?

My breathing was now all uneven and ragged, since I was feeling so much anger and frustration boil through me. Not just towards Fang, for threatening to fire me, but just... everything. For all of this.

I felt like it was my fault, since I was the one who just _had_ to go running with Mom. It was all crashing down on me the more I talked about it.

And to top it all off, the 'pimples' on my back were growing. Yes, growing. Into what, I don't know yet.

But I knew they weren't giant zits, that's for sure.

I finally sucked in a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. I noticed Fang's eyes soften as he noticed how much this affected me. My family.

But like I said, I didn't want pity. I was Maximum Martinez. I don't _do_ pity, and I sure as heck don't wallow in my _own _self pity.

"Max..." He started, but I held up my hand.

I needed to get my act together, and fast.

"Look, I..." I looked down for a second, trying to word this carefully. I finally decided that there was no good way to word it, so I just spit it out.

"Forget I told you this. We _never_ had this conversation. Got it?" I told him slowly, my voice low and venomous. As if daring him to argue with me.

"Max. Listen-"

"My shift it almost over, now if you would excuse me." I shoved passed him. Before I could get very far, he grabbed my arm, spinning me around to face him. I glared. I expected him to glare back, but instead, his eyes looked... concerned?

Nope. Impossible. Fang would never be concerned for a Martinez. _Especially_ if your name happens to be Max, like moi.

"Max, I didn't know." He stated, looking at me, staring at my eyes like he was searching for answers, just awaiting my reaction. I quickly tried to close off my emotions, attempting to look like Fang usually did; an emotionless brick wall.

I hopefully succeeded well enough, because he finally broke the gaze. As soon as he did, I yanked my arm away from his grip, my mask turning into a deadly glare.

"You do not tell anyone about this. Understand, Fang? Nobody." I warned, my voice cold and deadly.

He studied me for a moment longer, before reluctantly nodding. I spun on my heel, grabbing my things in a hurry, yet still managing to look smooth and confident.

I needed to get home. To get away from the Rides. Fang had gotten on my last nerve.

_As if I even had any left for_ _him_, I thought, annoyed.

I checked the clock on the wall. Just a few minutes past my shift's end. That made me rush even more. I couldn't get out of here any faster.

I grabbed Iggy's skateboard from the supply closet where I had left it (much to Nudge's disapproval), before running out the door and hopping on, pushing off in the direction of my house.

At least I knew one good thing about Fang Ride- something I had learned in the past. Something I was sure of, but didn't really like, because it made me almost want to trust him at times. Psh, like that would happen. _Over my dead body._

But still, it came in handy at a time like this.

He knew how to keep a secret.

* * *

**Eh... good? Bad?**

**I apologize if anything seems unrealistic, regarding the broken leg or the job thing. I just Googled 'How long does it take a broken femur to heal' and that was the info I got. Sorry if it's incorrect or anything. Again, I don't know what my problem was writing this chapter.**

**The next one will be better, I promise! Don't hurt me!**

**To xXjaziXx: Thanks for your uber-long, and amazingly funny reviews, I love reading them! I went to a wedding once. But unfortunately, there were no hot guys there to possibly look at me. Only this really old creepy guy who came up to me after and was like, "You'll definitely make a beautiful bride one day, darlin'." Now imagine a really creepy pedo smile, cause that's what he did. *Shudder* It was horrifyingly disgusting, blah!**


	7. Operation: Seize The Day

***Third person POV***

"Mom, can I go to my friend's house?" Gazzy asked, walking into the room.

Dr. Martinez looked at her son sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but I still can't drive." She explained, gesturing to her leg. She would have gotten her older children to walk him if it wasn't too far. But, Max was at work, and Iggy had gone to basketball practice.

Gazzy smiled at her, not at all disappointed.

"It's okay, Mom. You don't have to drive, she lives right next door." He told her, watching as she struggled to grab her drink from the coffee table that she had been using as a leg rest for the past week.

Frowning, Gazzy bent down, picking her water up and handing it to her. Dr. Martinez raised an eyebrow, taking a sip.

"_She_?" She questioned, swallowing before giving him a smile. "And thanks, honey." She leaned over, kissing his forehead.

"Yeah, Angel Ride. She asked her Mom and Dad if I could come over, they said it's fine." He explained.

"Angel Ride? You mean the little blonde girl? I thought you guys didn't really play well together." She said.

"No, that's only between Max and Iggy, and Angel's siblings- Fang, Ella, and Nudge. Angel is my very best friend." The little boy said proudly, grinning adorably. His mom couldn't help but smile back. Gazzy just gave off that effect, he was so cute.

"Well that's good, sweetie. I'm glad you guys are getting along."

"So can I go? Please, Mom?" He asked, looking up at her with his big blue eyes. She grinned.

"Sure. But be back before it gets dark, okay? And stay on our street if you guys decide to play outside." Dr. Martinez ordered. Gazzy nodded, his spiky blonde hair lightly swishing back and forth.

"Thanks, Mom!" He hugged her, before slipping on his shoes. "Love you, bye!" He ran towards the door, but Dr. Martinez stopped him.

"Wait a second. Gazzy?" She called. He paused, retracting his hand from the front doorknob. He walked back, poking his head into the room.

"Yeah?"

"Maybe you guys can try and end the silly little battle going on between the others. It'd be nice to be able to have a normal dinner with the neighbors without Max and Iggy trying to kill their children." She laughed lightly. "What do you think?" She raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at her son.

Gazzy pursed his lips, mulling over her idea carefully. A few moments later, his lips spread into a mischievous grin.

"I'll see what I can do." He agreed. Dr. Martinez smiled.

"Thanks, sweetie. See you in a few hours! You behave yourself, okay? No explosions, play nice." He nodded, before saluting her.

"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am!" He laughed, before running out of the house and over to the Ride's residence.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight..." Angel said, before fishing another playing card out of the pile. "You think we should come up with a plan to get Fang, Nudge, Ella, Max, and Iggy to be friends?" She questioned, adding the card to her hands.

"Any 7's?" Gazzy asked.

"Go fish." She replied without missing a beat.

"Crap," He muttered, doing as told before looking at her.

"And yes. That is exactly what I'm saying. Just think about it- They've spent 3 years fighting, arguing, pranking, trying to turn me into their personal stink bomb, burping in each other's faces..." He trailed off, getting carried away. "I mean, it's a total waste of time. They should just get along instead of being drama queens! And kings!" He added.

Angel nodded in agreement, smirking slightly as she asked Gazzy for a card he had 3 of, causing him to give it to her begrudgingly. She now had 14 different matching pairs of cards laying on the grass in front of her.

Gazzy only had 7, much to his displeasure. That girl was a master at Go Fish- this was going to be his 3rd loss in a row.

"I agree completely! It's a great idea." She nodded again. "I'm so sick of having to hide my best friend from my own brother and sisters just to avoid getting duct taped to the back of a door for being a 'traitor'." She made her small fingers into quotation marks around the last word, rolling her eyes for effect.

"So we need a plan, then." Gazzy told her. They continued to play Go Fish for a few more minutes, up until Angel ran out of cards and won. As she did a little victory dance, Gazzy rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile at her victory.

He always tried to be a good sport, but he still didn't like losing very much. Though, with Angel, that happened a lot.

He sometimes wondered if she cheated all the time, but then he felt guilty and shook the thought from his head.

Angel would never cheat. She was only good at just about every game. She had skill; that's how she won. Gazzy both envied and admired her for it.

"New game?" She questioned, once her victory dance had died down. Gazzy shook his head.

"I'm sick of losing," He laughed slightly at her sheepish grin, once he had said that.

"Let's think more about our plan, then. Where should we start?" Angel asked her best friend.

"Um... well, we're going to need a name. All awesome plans have names, right?" He told her.

"True. Um, how about... _'Angel & Gazzy's Plan To Get Our Siblings To Be Friends_' plan?" She offered. Gazzy pondered it for a second, before shaking his head.

"Nah, too long. How about, _'Fiery Explosion of Chunky Friendship-ness by Dynamite'_ plan?" He suggested.

She shook her head.

"Too violent."

Just then, Angel gasped loudly. "Ooh! I know!" She exclaimed. Gazzy raised an eyebrow.

" _'Plan: Burrito'_ !" She yelled.

"_Burrito_?" Gazzy raised his eyebrows.

They looked at each other, before bursting out in laughter.

"Okay, on a more serious note... how 'bout '_Operation: Seize The Day'_?" Gazzy suggested.

"Seize the day? What does that mean? Seize, I mean." Angel asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Well, I heard the word 'Seize' from a TV show. It meant to like, live each day like it's almost your oldest... or, um, something like that. I forgot." Gazzy shrugged.

"Well, it sounds catchy." Angel pointed out.

"And it's short and simple, but better than 'Burrito.' " Gazzy added.

"Yeah, you're right. I like it." Angel agreed.

"So we're going to use it, right?" Gazzy pressed.

"I think we should!"

"Good. So it's settled," Gazzy confirmed.

"Operation: Seize The Day is now in progress." They both giggled.

They knew this was going to be great.

* * *

**Well. That wasn't too bad, was it? It's building up the story! If all goes as planned, the next few chapters will probably be more of Max POV, but with some Gazzy and Angel chapters somewhere in between to develop the plan further.**

**And, just to let ya'll know, they will NOT be abbreviating the plan's name into letters, like people sometimes do in movies. Why, you ask? Well, just try to abbreviate the last three words... **

**Awkward, right?**** I didn't plan that, I promise (if you say 'that's what she said' I swear I will slap you in the face!)****. **

**xXjaziXx: Dude, you're totally right. Dude, I am SO sending you a PM ASAP. You're just too awesome for me to ignore! Not that I'd ignore a reviewer, anyways. Unless they were rude, then they'd SO be gettin' the silent treatment from me, dude!**


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